Macronutrients - Flexible Dieting 

 (the basics of basic) 

1. What is Macro/Flexible Dieting? Instead of tracking calories you track your macronutrients; Fat, Carbs, and Protein. There is no such thing as good/bad foods. Yes, you do want to eat whole unprocessed foods however if you really want a donut, work it into your macros and enjoy guilt free. One of the major benefits of this way of dieting is that nothing is "off limits" you truly can have your cake and eat it too. Or in my case, cupcakes :) 

Have you ever been on a restricted eating plan, for example low carb, done great all week and then the weekend hits and you eat any and everything in sight, kinda like a bear coming out of hibernation? Well, I sure have. Flex dieting definitely changes the way you view and eat food. You have so much flexibility with your food choices you just want to stay within your macro nutrient range. 

2. How do I figure out how many Macros to eat? It all depends on your goals. If you want to cut fat, gain muscle or maintain your Macro combo of Fat, Carbs, and Protein will look different. One of my favorite websites and Macro calculator is

http://www.muscleforlife.com/macronutrient-calculator/# 

The recommended calorie deficit percentage you want to add into your calculator is between 20-25%. Remember slow and steady keeps the weight off. If you are looking to bulk you want to add 10% and click on surplus. 

***There are a million macro calculators all over the web, with slightly different variations of F/C/P combos, this is how I have calculated mine. 

My Macros:

My Goal: cut fat and gain muscle, yes this is doable. In the last 3 weeks I have lost ZERO lbs but lost 1.6% body fat and gained lbs in muscle. So my Macros are targeted to my goals. Remember, your macros should shift as your goals change. 

BMR = 1365

TDEE = 1854

25% calorie deficit = 1382 Calories a day. This number will increase as I reverse diet back up to my TDEE after cutting (reverse dieting is a topic for another day).

Calorie conversions: 

1g of Fat = 9 calories

1g of Carbs = 4 calories

1g of Protein = 4 calories 

How I determine how much protein, fat and carbs to eat:

Protein 1.2 x body weight = 154g (154 x 4 = 616 calories)

Fat .2 x body weight = 26g (26 x 9 = 234 calories)

Carbs = 133g 

**After calculating my protein and fat the rest of my calories come from carbs. 

How to calculate remaining calories and turn that number in to carb grams.

So you take 616 (my protein calories) + 234 (fat calories) = 850 calories. Then 1382 (total daily calories) - 850  = 532 remaining daily calories. So I need 532 calories from carbs, 532/4 = 133. I eat 133g of carbs a day. 

Daily: Fat 26g/ Carbs 133g/ Protein 154g 

**If you need more help or clarification leave a comment below** Also remember, these are MY goals, yours most likely will be different :)

3. Now I have my daily Macros now what? Once you figure out your macros you design your meals and daily food, this is where food prep comes in handy. I make most of my meals a week in advance so that whole week I have set myself up to staying on track. Yes, I do include in my favorites, chocolate, homemade protein ice-cream, pop chips, etc... My favorite app is myfitnesspal. This is where I track and count my macros. A follow up blog will be explaining and showing how I use myfitnesspal.  

I get the question all the time, "don't you get sick of eating the same thing all the time?" My answer is NO because I don't eat the same food all the time. Yes, I have my favorite go to meals but I love variety and new foods. My latest kick has been edamame noodles. Seriously look at that protein, 24g per serving, 21g of carbs, and 2g of fat! Add some pesto, chicken, veggies and poof you have a fabulous meal!

When I am designing my meals I always start with my protein because that is my largest macro to hit, carbs are always an easy one for me and lastly I do my fat. A detailed look into my meal prepping is also in a later post :) 

So in a nut shell Macro and Flex dieting is forgetting calories and focusing on tracking your macro nutrients. When you are eating the right amount of protein, carbs, and fat (with strength training) your body composition changes from soft and fluffy to solid and lean.

 

 2 week progress pictures of flex dieting - sorry for the crappy pictures I took them from my instagram account @nicholechism

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